Saturday, November 2
Edwardsville, Ill.
8:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
6-7-2, 0-3-1
0
at
0
SIU Edwardsville
8-4-3, 2-1-1
1
2
3
4
F
West Virginia
0
0
0
0
0
SIUE
0
0
0
0
0
Mountaineers Earn Hard-Fought Draw at SIUE
November 03, 2019 12:03 AM | Men's Soccer
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team played to a 0-0, double-overtime draw on Saturday, Nov. 2, at SIU Edwardsville. The two squads battled for 110 minutes before finishing scoreless at Ralph Korte Stadium in Edwardsville, Illinois.
The Mountaineers (6-7-2, 0-3-1 MAC) controlled much of the match, recording 17 shots and nine corner kicks on the night. Despite the draw, WVU tallied its fourth clean sheet of the season and first since Sept. 28.
"What a performance from our team on the road," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "We're really, really shorthanded right now, missing arguably the two best players on our team, but our guys fought tooth-and-nail and were the better team for 110 minutes tonight. It's disappointing to not get the goal that we deserved but give SIUE credit for being resilient and defending well. I thought our kids showed up tonight. The resurgence has to start somewhere – this is a good place for it to start."
West Virginia earned its first shot of the night in the 23rd minute when senior defender Albert Andres-Llop sent one over the bar on a free-kick attempt. Later, sophomore forward Tony Pineda missed a shot just wide in the visitor's first big chance of the evening.
WVU finished with four shots in a scoreless opening 45 minutes.
After halftime, freshman forward Rodrigo Robles Grajera nearly put the Mountaineers ahead in the 48th minute when his shot attempt was poked away by the SIUE keeper. That began a relentless, second-half Mountaineer attack in search of their breakthrough.
The Cougars (8-4-3, 2-1-1 MAC) fought off shots from freshman midfielder Luke McCormick, sophomore forward Josh DiMatteo and Pineda around the 60-minue mark, keeping the scoreboard even. Then, with just seconds remaining in regulation, DiMatteo was inches away from a game-winner on a header that trickled just over the bar. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native recorded five shots, including two on goal, in the contest.
Junior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky made a game-saving denial seven minutes into the first overtime period. The Raymore, Missouri, native came off his line to make a diving save to keep the match at 0-0. Tekesky finished with four saves in his 12th career shutout.
In the second overtime with SIUE down to 10 men, junior midfielder Pau Jimenez Albelda sent one just over the bar from the top of the box in the 106th minute in WVU's last big shot at a goal.
The Mountaineers held a 17-10 advantage in shots, including 5-4 in shots on goal. WVU also claimed a 9-3 edge in corner kicks. Along with DiMatteo, five other players finished with multiple shots in the draw.
Next up, West Virginia concludes the 2019 regular season with a Senior Night matchup against Akron on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown. The match marks the final Dollar Day of the season, with tickets and select concession stand items available for $1.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Mountaineers (6-7-2, 0-3-1 MAC) controlled much of the match, recording 17 shots and nine corner kicks on the night. Despite the draw, WVU tallied its fourth clean sheet of the season and first since Sept. 28.
"What a performance from our team on the road," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "We're really, really shorthanded right now, missing arguably the two best players on our team, but our guys fought tooth-and-nail and were the better team for 110 minutes tonight. It's disappointing to not get the goal that we deserved but give SIUE credit for being resilient and defending well. I thought our kids showed up tonight. The resurgence has to start somewhere – this is a good place for it to start."
West Virginia earned its first shot of the night in the 23rd minute when senior defender Albert Andres-Llop sent one over the bar on a free-kick attempt. Later, sophomore forward Tony Pineda missed a shot just wide in the visitor's first big chance of the evening.
WVU finished with four shots in a scoreless opening 45 minutes.
After halftime, freshman forward Rodrigo Robles Grajera nearly put the Mountaineers ahead in the 48th minute when his shot attempt was poked away by the SIUE keeper. That began a relentless, second-half Mountaineer attack in search of their breakthrough.
The Cougars (8-4-3, 2-1-1 MAC) fought off shots from freshman midfielder Luke McCormick, sophomore forward Josh DiMatteo and Pineda around the 60-minue mark, keeping the scoreboard even. Then, with just seconds remaining in regulation, DiMatteo was inches away from a game-winner on a header that trickled just over the bar. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native recorded five shots, including two on goal, in the contest.
Junior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky made a game-saving denial seven minutes into the first overtime period. The Raymore, Missouri, native came off his line to make a diving save to keep the match at 0-0. Tekesky finished with four saves in his 12th career shutout.
In the second overtime with SIUE down to 10 men, junior midfielder Pau Jimenez Albelda sent one just over the bar from the top of the box in the 106th minute in WVU's last big shot at a goal.
The Mountaineers held a 17-10 advantage in shots, including 5-4 in shots on goal. WVU also claimed a 9-3 edge in corner kicks. Along with DiMatteo, five other players finished with multiple shots in the draw.
Next up, West Virginia concludes the 2019 regular season with a Senior Night matchup against Akron on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown. The match marks the final Dollar Day of the season, with tickets and select concession stand items available for $1.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Team Stats
WVU
SIUE
Goals
0
0
Shots
17
10
Shots on Goal
5
4
Saves
4
5
Corners
9
3
Fouls
6
15
Game Leaders
Shots
5
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
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